December 13th, 2017 09:54 a.m.

Archive By Section - Healthcare

In July, KershawHealth reported scoring 100 percent on six quality core measures for the third month in a row. Monday, KershawHealth Board Vice Chair Dr. Tallulah Holmstrom reported four of those core measures struck the 100 percent again for at least six months, ending in September. Holmstrom, chair of the board's quality committee, reported one core measure hit 100 percent for the ninth straight month.

S.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Director Anthony Keck will be the guest speaker for the seventh annual Baruch Society Members' Dinner on Thursday at Camden's National Steeplechase Museum. The KershawHealth Foundation established the Baruch Society in 2008 to recognize and thank supporters. Those making annual contributions of $1,000 or more receive an invitation to attend the Members' Dinner.

About a dozen representatives from Duke LifePoint (DLP) arrived at KershawHealth's Health Resource Center (HRC) late Tuesday morning to propose a possible strategic partnership with the local public hospital. That 10- to 12-strong contingent numbered about twice that of Capella Healthcare, which made a similar presentation to the KershawHealth Board of Trustees on Oct. 27 at the Elgin Outpatient/Urgent Care Center.

During the open portion of an Oct. 27 meeting which included an executive session presentation from a possible strategic partner, the KershawHealth Board of Trustees learned it lost approximately $3.5 million during Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. The fiscal year ended Sept. 30; the unaudited $3.5 million figure was revealed in a look at September's financial statement. The board met at its Elgin Outpatient/Urgent Care Center.

Danny Wharton is noticeably proud of the changes in KershawHealth's emergency department. Wharton, the healthcare organization's director of ancillary and emergency services, took several people on a tour of the renovated space that now accommodates the hospital's Express Care service.

The current focus on the death of a patient with Ebola in Dallas and the subsequent infection of two nurses at the same hospital, as well as the global nature of travel today, has led some to wonder how community hospitals might deal with possible Ebola patients.

Larry DiBiase celebrated the 25th anniversary of his State Farm Insurance agency by holding a fundraising cook-out, complete with radio broadcast, games and door prizes at the agency's revamped offices on West DeKalb Street. All proceeds from the event -- $600 -- went to the KershawHealth Foundation to benefit oncology services at KershawHealth.

KershawHealth may offer its employee a 2 percent raise effective at the end of the year. The decision will be influenced -- in part or in total -- by the healthcare organization's "financial performance through the end of the calendar year and other factors known by year end to impact fiscal year 2015," according to a summary of KershawHealth's proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 budget.

The KershawHealth Board of Trustees will use most of its first meeting of September to continue a discussion of the healthcare system's proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 budget on Monday at 6 p.m. The board will vote on the budget at its second meeting of the month on Sept. 22.

For the past two years, the Community Medical Clinic (CMC) has quietly worked to help women between the ages of 47 and 64 each become a "Wise Woman." That's the name of a special program -- actually an acronym that stands for "Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation of Women Across the Nation" (WISEWOMAN). It provides health screenings and lifestyle education for women to help reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke.

A proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 presented during the KershawHealth Board of Trustees' Aug. 25 meeting projects an operating loss of a little more than $1.92 million. A total margin loss of approximately $1.69 million is also projected in the proposed budget.